Knockhill boss Gordon Shedden heads to Brands Hatch for this weekend’s final shootout in the British Touring Car Championship confident he can build on the excellent qualifying performance he delivered last time out at Rockingham.
The 30-year-old from Dalgety Bay, who will again drive his Cartridge World-backed Seat Leon, qualified sixth-fastest at the Northamptonshire track and believes he can go even faster this weekend.
“I know our pace in qualifying at Rockingham surprised a lot of people in the paddock,” Shedden, a multiple BTCC winner and who finished second earlier this season at Knockhill, said today.
“We lost a bit of pace during the races, but in many ways that was to be expected because it was the first time the guys had worked on the car to prepare it. But we all learned a lot from what we did at Rockingham.
“Traditionally I go very well at Brands and the Seat suits the track, so I believe we should be fast again. Hopefully qualifying will go as well, if not better, than it did at Rockingham. If it does, I’m confident this time we can capitalise on it.
“Ideally, I’d love to think we could get at least one podium. I know the car’s fast enough and I know I can win. That combination, allied to the fact the likes of Colin (Turkington), Fabrizio (Giovanardi) and Jason (Plato) are all going to be going hell-for-leather after each other in the battle for the championship, hopefully means it will give me the opportunity to race at the front.”
With 52 points still to be won this weekend, former Knockhill race instructor Turkington heads into the final triple-header in his Team RAC BMW leading the Vauxhall of double champ Giovanardi by just 13 points. Plato’s Chevvy is a further 15 points adrift.
JM